Denial
by aeri-diablo
Summary: Alternate POV of Duty... "Duty comes first, Duty comes always.... and besides? What business does the Great Hero have with a Sheikah?" What is Sheik talking about?... rated for language... post-OoT, oneshot, female-SheikxLink.


First off- many thanks to those who have reviewed and/or favorited _Duty._ I must not suck! YAY!!! Second, many thanks to Lenn.n.n for giving me the idea to write this in Link's POV… this rocket surgeon never would have thought of that one! And yes, some of the lines in here DO look remarkably similar to the ones from_ Duty_! Why? Cause I'm a lazy butthead! Yay for copy and paste! This would have been up sooner, however, my friend offered to beta it for me, since it just didn't seem right. So many thanks to Kitsuudai for the beta work!

Ah, right. The usual "I don't own 'em, but God I wish I did."

So, onward ho!

* * *

Link stumbled over yet another bump in the carpet for the third time that night. He never understood exactly why castles had to be so… windy. He supposed that if anyone asked the architects that planned it out, they'd say something along the lines of making it harder for thieves and assassins to locate the members of the Royal Family. It made sense, but in all truth, he thought it was to intimidate. The giant building was only half-reconstructed, but the sheer size of it was truly imposing. So many hallways…

And suddenly, a light! Granted, it was around a corner, but still! Light! Link began walking faster. As he rounded the corner though, what he saw surprised him. It was Sheik. Her hand was dipping into her boots, pulling out a knife.

"Goddesses, Sheik! No need to try and kill me!" he said quickly, not particularly feeling like pulling a dagger out of his skull. She let out a sigh, and slid the dagger back in her boot. Why did she just sigh? _Not very nice,_ he thought.

"Good evening, _Hero_. What brings me the pleasure of seeing you so late?" Sheik coldly asked, not even trying to suppress the ice that usually crept into her tone when she spoke to him. He couldn't help but let the smile drop from his face. 'The one normal person who I like doesn't seem to like me back.' "It's been a bit since I saved the world, Miss Sheik. I think we can drop the whole 'Hero' title. " He rejoined, trying his best at a smirk. If there was one thing Link truly detested, it was being called 'Hero'. 'Yeah, yeah. I saved you and the land of Hyrule. Could you at least call me by my name?'

"That didn't answer my question, H-Link." Sheik replied with a small smirk of her own, though the veil she wore hid it. Link rather liked the veil on her, instead of her customary cowl. He remembered the day that she got it. How she had thrown a fit when Zelda had insisted then that she didn't need to wear the cowl, and to 'just take the damn thing off, it won't kill you'! Sheik hadclaimed that covering her face was still necessary, since she was still underage. Link had suggested a short veil, like some of the Gerudo women wore. The sudden idea of the Sheikah dressed like a Gerudo had sent a blush to his cheeks, though, mercifully, neither of the women noticed it. He recalled Zelda trying to pry the cowl off of Sheik, who had resisted as strongly she could without harming her Queen.

She sagged against the solid support of the wall, and slid down it to land heavily on the frigid floor. Link did the same, and answered, "I… honestly, I couldn't sleep. And when I can't sleep, I usually just start walking. And I just kind ... of… ended up here?" He trailed off with sheepishly as Sheik sardonically raised her eyebrows at him. They sat in the ensuing silence and stewed for a while, until Link finally spoke.

"Err, should we talk?"

Sheik gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?" she asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Well," Link said, "I don't like silence. In battle- unless it was one of those damn Re-deads- everything seems to get quiet right before a particularly nasty enemy comes around, and- HEY! Stop laughing! Re-deads are absolutely horrid!" Across the hall, Sheik was almost doubled over, no doubt thinking of the Re-deads favorite way of accosting their prey.

"You try having the life force _humped_ out of you!" Link muttered, shuddering feebly at the memory. Sheik's laughter eventually dwindled into silent little gasps, as tears streamed out of her eyes. _'She has a nice laugh. I don't think I've ever heard it before. Wait, since when... ah right... after the fight.' _"Women," he said quietly, though what ever he was going to say after, he didn't know. After all, being kicked in the chest by a woman with _very_ strong legs wasn't exactly conductive to the thought-making process.

"What the-" he gasped breathlessly, air suddenly seeming not as plentiful as it had moments before. Sheik glared at him, her red eyes hard and uncomprimising. "Don't… poke fun… at women." She hissed. "Don't make fun of being raped by a corpse, then." Link growled. She gave a quick nod of assent, and sat back up. Link followed en suit. 'Damn. That hurt.'

"I've never seen you laugh that hard before, Sheik. Actually, I don't think I've heard you laugh before. Ever." Link pondered as he straightened his hat. Even though he had thought the same thing earlier, getting the wind knocked out of you wasn't good for saying things.

"I have a duty," Sheik wearily explained, rubbing her temples. "And, while being with the Queen can be fun, I cannot laugh when others are around. It would imply that, as a faithful Sheikah bodyguard, I am failing my charge. Laughing shows others that I am letting my emotions get the better of me, and that I am easily distracted from my duties. If my eyes closed for a moment when I laughed, the Queen might be assassinated. And therefore, by not having a charge to protect, my job would be a bit useless, seeing as I failed at it."

"You have to keep your emotions tightly suppressed, you're forever stuck as the servant of the Royal Family, and you can't even laugh. Being a Sheikah must _suck_." Link deduced after a loaded moment of silence. He had never noticed that particular stone in the floor. It was shaped almost like a cat. Most intriguing.

"Sheikah servants may not fall in love, either," Sheik whispered, almost as an afterthought. She abruptly became entranced with contemplating the bandages around her fingers. Finger wraps can't be that interesting. She began tobind and unbind the bandages, twisting and turning, paying entirely too much attention to them. _ 'Something's up. Does she... maybe?'_

"What?" Link stared at the young woman across from him. "You speak far too sadly about that rule to not have someone you are in love with. Tell me?"_ '"Far too sadly"? What was that?'_

Sheik resolutely raised her head, though she refused to make eye contact with him.

"I have known him for a very long time," she started, "I met him in a place that seemed like the last safe one, and he seemed to be afraid of me. I talked with him for a short while, and then I left, knowing where, but not when I would see him next. I actually helped him with a bit of a problem he had, but near the end of it, I introduced him to Zelda, and I fear that he is absolutely infatuated with her. And even if he did return my affections, it… it couldn't be."

Link's heart gave a hopeful flutter. Sheik returned to fiddling with the wrappings on her other wrist. He gave his neck a scratch, thinking about what she had just said._ 'Don't think... it might be, but it could be anyone...'_

"I understand what you are feeling, actually. I'm in a bit of the same situation…" he said softly.

Sheik quietly scrutinized him with sharp eyes. She hadn't looked him directly in the eyes for ages.

"Speak," she commanded, and then quickly looked away.

"Well," he began, "I met this girl a long time ago as well. Her appearance frightened me a bit, but when she spoke, I was at ease. I didn't realize it, but she helped me a lot that day. After I met her, I kept hoping I'd see her around, and when I did, she helped me even more. She made me feel a lot better, especially when I was feeling like I was about to die." He paused for a minute, and readjusted himself into a new position on the floor. "And then, later on, she gave me a really, really helpful tool. I couldn't believe it, really. But… I don't know if she feels the same way about me. It would be nice, though, y'know?"

Sheik's face began to pale, and she swiftly drew up her knees to hide it. Link could tell by her stuttering, wet breaths (even if Sheik would rather have her own daggers and needles thrown at her than admit it) that she was crying. Sheik, the stoic, emotionless, warrior girl, who hadn't even cried when she had been thrashed by Bongo Bongo, was crying now, and for a reason he didn't understand. 'Crap.'

Link scooted across the narrow hall and knelt next to her. He tapped her shoulder lightly, but either she didn't feel it, or she was ignoring him. He waited a moment, and then tapped her again, this time on the head. She slowly raised her head and looked almost surprised that she was looking into Link's eyes. Her own ruby gaze stared back into his, and if he didn't know any better, he'd say they were looking for something.

"Are you okay?" he asked._ 'Did I make her cry?' _He lifted his hand, and attempted to wipe away the tears with his thumb, something he had once done for Zelda. But Sheik turned her head away, as she tightly closed her eyes_. 'Crap. I did something. I know it.'_

"Who would care?" she whispered, her voice slightly roughed with tears and emotions she consistently suppressed. "Who would care about a Sheikah? We are the shadows. We are the protectors of the Royal Family, yet we are treated worse than the lowly mutts that roam the town square… What business does a Great Hero have with a Sheikah? The Hero and the Princess… young love that becomes deep affection… the way it should be…" _'Zelda and I? What?'_

Sheik suddenly rose with startling speed, the veil shielding her face fluttering wildly, her braid whipping around, "I must… check on the Queen… her sleep has been fitful as of late… and I must not forsake my… duty… any longer," and exited the hopefully tense atmosphere through the door of the Royal Quarters she diligently guarded.

And with that unspoken rejection, she left the young elfin man sitting on the ground, staring at a door he wished very much would open.

* * *

Meh. This certainly took longer. I know. That little veil backstory was supposed to be in Duty, but... I don't remember. Gah. I hope this doesn't suck. And how did this turn out longer than the original... A mystery...

Once again, thanks to anyone who reviewed, or even read for that matter. Toodles til next time. And there will be a next time. Yup, one more to finish this off.


End file.
